The Restaurant at JUSTIN — Restaurant in Cambria

I looked for a Michelin star restaurant in Paso Robles to celebrate my wife’s birthday. I stumbled across The Restaurant at Justin, read the various reviews and made our reservations.

It does require a $100 deposit per person that is refunded on arrival.

From the moment we arrived we were greeted and treated with fantastic hospitality.

We had opted for the Chef’s Choice and wine pairing and were delighted with every single course. I had wished I had taken photos of every course but was initially concerned with not showing class. After a certain point, I no longer cared. The food appearance and taste were just too fantastic to care.

I had taken my wife to a Michelin star restaurant in Italy when we first started dating in Italy 30 years ago. We were eager to experience the same service and culinary quality. We were not disappointed.

As we decided with the Chef’s menu, it was a set meal with wine pairing.

Each course that arrived looked like a piece of artwork. The wine pairing was excellent, my only recommendation would be to advise the patron that one glass would be paired with one or two courses. As there wasn’t a pour per each course, and you were required to gauge what wine was for what courses.

The views were also fantastic as the restaurant was nestled in rolling hills of the vineyard and reminded me of Northern Italy.

Book in advance and enjoy the best of...

After experiencing an amazing, delightful and delicious dinner at a Michelin restaurant in france - Lalique at Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, we were excited about finding Justin during our visit to Paso Robles. Unfortunately and rather sadly the 2 experiences could not be any more different. We selected the Chef’s Tasting Menu a 3 hour experience at Justin. I wish we could get out time back never mind the expense. From the start, they placed us facing the kitchen door which was constantly opening and closing very distracting. We requested to be moved to another table, there were several open in main outdoor area, yet they chose to put us in the outskirt area requiring us to request a heater. We were clearly far removed from main sitting area and lacking any ambiance. It’s as if we were an afterthought. Then the FOOD - on a rating scale, I would have to rate at the lowest score. The sample size bites of food lacked creativity and uniqueness. The food seemed to lack flavor, taste and cold. Some of the finger food was soggy and broke upon touch. Although the service staff was good they did seem eager to rush the service removing plates as others were still eating. To say we were disappointed would not be enough. We’ve dined at many restaurants (not Michelin rated) with exceptional service and delicious food. I would skip...

We ate at Justin's restaurant 15 years ago, it was awesome back then and now it's an experience not to be missed. Every dish was better than the one before, it was an ethereal dinner with a few hacks that I'll add.

The restaurant & bar area are beautiful, it reminded me of The Menu, except nobody was yelling "yes chef". There's a great outdoor patio and grounds that aren't to be missed. I can't adequately describe the food, other than to say each dish is a new experience of heaven.

The hacks are if you join the wine club, it's 20% off of dinner. There are 2 menu options, the Estate menu for $225 and Chef menu for $350, the Chefs menu is the better value and incredible dishes. If you're into wine paring with the menu, it's $110 for each person, but you can also share 1 wine paring for 2 people.

The Wagu beef was beautifully done, as was the cheese souffle, the scallop with caviar in a white sauce was amazing, it was all I could do not to use my finger to scoop up every molecule of sauce. The executive and sous chefs are artists and this menu is their masterpiece.

The staff is extraordinary, they're personable and attentive without hovering or being disruptive. Obviously this is an expensive restaurant, but if you're looking for a memorable event or celebrating a special moment, I can't recommend Justin...